■ Diplomacy
Chen praises steak man
President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) yesterday received the owner of a Texan steak house where Chen had been treated by US Congressman Tom DeLay to a steak dinner in June 2001 when he was on a transit stop in Houston. Chen met with Edd Hendee, owner of the Houston-based steak restaurant Taste of Texas, at the Presidential Office and gave Hendee a scroll carrying Chen's praise of the restaurant written in eight Chinese characters meaning "Hendee's flavor, the taste of Texas." Chen told Hendee he had enjoyed his dinner and the superb steak was particularly unforgettable. Chen offered his congratulations to Hendee over the restaurant's long-term prosperity and said that Hendee's success is worthy of emulation by other restaurant operators.
■ Inauguration
May 19 bash in Kaohsiung
A large celebration will be held in Kaohsiung on the eve of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) inauguration on May 20. Kaohsiung Mayor Frank Hsieh (謝長廷), Kaohsiung County Deputy Commissioner Wu Yu-wen (吳裕文) and Acting Pingtung County Commissioner Wu Ying-wen (吳應文) have invited the public to attend the celebration to be held in downtown Kaohsiung. Chen and Lu will also attend the function and address supporters, Hsieh said, adding that the celebration will have a carnival atmosphere now that the presidential election and vote recount requested by the pan-blue alliance is nearly completed. The celebration, co-sponsored by the Government Information Office and the Kaohsiung City Government, has selected "Solidarity and a New Future" as its theme. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend the event.
■ Weather
Two systems being watched
Two new tropical low-pressure systems have developed in the open seas on the heels of medium-strength Typhoon Nida, which shifted to a northward direction over the weekend and spared Taiwan, the Central Weather Bureau reported yesterday. One of the systems has formed east of Vietnam, meteorologists said, adding that it has been moving slowly westward. They said the system may accelerate its westward movement over the following days. The other low-pressure system has formed southwest of Guam and it has been moving westward. They said that although it is still too early to confirm, this system is likely to develop into a typhoon. Nida is not expected to affect Thursday's inauguration ceremonies.
■ Diplomacy
Panamanian ties retained
Taiwan has maintained close relations with Panamanian president-elect Martin Torrijos Espino's Democratic Revolutionary Party, and will continue to strengthen cooperation with the new government in all areas, Ambassador David C. Y. Hu (胡正堯) said yesterday. Hu made the remarks in a recent interview with the newspaper La Estrella de Panama. China has repeatedly pressured Panama to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Hu noted that Taiwan and Panama have maintained solid relations for many years, and that Taiwan is hoping to continue to strengthen the relations with the new government. The newspaper reported that Hu was a key figure in the negotiation of a free trade agreement between Taiwan and Panama, and that he had brought about the visits of President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) to Panama.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost